Phoenix Risen
by IcePhoenix04
Summary: Riley has abandoned his home, his parents, and his life. He almost throws everything he has left away when he steals and Atomic Battery. He is saved by a Simulacrum, a sentient robot bearing the soul and mind of a human, named Tyron. Through Tyron he joins Phoenix Risen, a group of elite mercenaries dedicated to making the frontier safer, in their own way.
1. One

Disclaimer:

I don't own Titanfall or any of the resources used in the making of this story. All credit goes to Respawn Entertainment. All characters in this story bear no resemblance to any real people, living or dead.

I sprinted through the streets, away from the shouts of the guards. I had never planned to resort to stealing, but that vendor has tried to cheat me out of a deal on an atomic battery. Things like that weren't cheap.

Sprinting through the streets, I felt shame for how my life had deteriorated. I was once a rich boy living in a palace, now I was running through the slums with a stolen battery powerful enough to run one of those fancy titans the IMC were mass producing.

I shook off the feeling, why should I care at all? Before this life my parents had ridiculed me from being different. They said I should give up and be the next in line for the family business. I hated that idea, I also hated my parents, that's why I left in the first place.

A loudspeaker crackled to life somewhere near me, "Report, a Class A atomic battery has been stolen. The suspect reportedly has brown hair and is wearing a stolen pilot uniform. Any information regarding the suspect is greatly appreciated and the finder will receive compensation." The loudspeaker crackled off. I curse, I could've sworn that I was careful to keep people from seeing me at all.

I sprint faster ignoring the complaints from people I ran into or tripped on my way past. I turned into another alleyway and saw it was a dead end. Doubling back I saw that the IMC guards were almost on me. I ran through street after street, alley after alley without seeming to getting any closer to escaping. The shouts of the guards were getting louder, I was running out of breath, how much longer could I keep this up?

I ducked into an alley to hide and catch my breath, and found a dead end with absolutely nothing that could help me hide from the guards who were almost surely going to round the corner any second now. Suddenly a strong, cold hand grabbed me from behind and I was yanked into a small passage I hadn't seen before. I begin to struggle but am silenced by a hard metallic voice behind me.

"Shut up or they'll hear you." He was right, the guards were checking down this alley right now, just not very thoroughly. They passed on without another glance and their footsteps fade away.

Now I struggled free again and looked at my would be rescuer. Staring back was a robot, but not just any robot, it was a simulacrum. I was confused, simulacrums were produced by Vinson Dynamics, who worked with the IMC, and furthermore they produced most of the titans that are powered by the battery I had stolen. I turned to run but he grabbed me before I could get very far.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you obviously, you're just going to turn me in to the IMC. Right?"

"No, why would I do that?" he looked genuinely confused at my question. I mean as confused as a robot with no facial features can get.

"You're a simulacrum right?" he nodded, "Then why would you not turn me in to them? You work with them."

"Not anymore I don't" he said, I am a prototype and have no allegiances". I must have still looked skeptical, I felt skeptical, because he looked away and said "Actually, I'm a discarded prototype that Vinson Dynamics thought had been destroyed. I don't think they even know I'm still alive. I was made to be the most advanced simulacrum ever created, able to think consciously and make my own decisions as well as make software and hardware modifications as I pleased. However, I proved too costly and they must have decided it wasn't worth it anymore."

"Oh" was all I could muster.

He looked over at me, "I couldn't help noticing that Class A battery you were carrying."

No surprise there, these things were rare outside of military use and pretty expensive even if you could find one on the market. "So, you just saved me so you could take my battery?"

"No, no" he shook his head, "I have a deal for you, me and my team know a contact that would pay handsomely for a battery like that, if you come with me I can see if they will split the profit with you?"

I was skeptical, it had taken me a while to save up for this battery and I had forgotten my money back at the vendor's stall. This would be the only thing that could replenish my funds. "How much would this contact pay for this battery? I paid 400 credits for this."

He looked over at me, clearly shocked. "Whoever you got that from didn't know what he was handling. That battery could power a spaceship for a month. Our contact is willing to pay at least 200,000 credits for one of those."

That blew my mind, 200,000? That could buy me a safe property on a quiet planet and maybe even a lower class titan. "So, who is this contact?"

"I'm not at liberty to share that with you, sorry"

"No I understand perfectly logical for a buyer of Class A Atomic Batteries off the black market to want to keep their identity secret."

"So, how about I introduce you to the rest of the team?"


	2. Two

Disclaimer:

I don't own Titanfall or any of the resources used in the making of this story. All credit goes to Respawn Entertainment. All characters in this story bear no resemblance to any real people, living or dead.

I followed the simulacrum out of the city through a hidden passage concealed by a trash heap next to a dumpster in an adjacent alleyway. "Hey, I never asked what your name was?"

"My name is Tyron, however my call sign is Razor Phoenix."

"Razor Phoenix?"

"Yeah, all of the team's handles have a Phoenix included in it as we reside under the banner of Phoenix Risen."

"Why did you name yourselves that?" It seemed an odd name for a group of what were essentially mercenaries.

"It seemed poetic, how even if we get put down or fail, we will come back just as, if not more, fierce and determined as we were previously."

"Huh" was the only response I mustered. We walked in silence for a while before coming into a clearing with some tents set up around the perimeter and a campfire burning itself out in the center of it all.

Suddenly I felt a whoosh of air behind me and the distinct sound of a knife sliding out of its sheath. I leapt forward and spun, facing my attacker. A woman dressed in an urban camo flight suit was standing where I had been moments before holding a wicked long knife, in the after movements of a killing stab that would have ended me on the spot.

"Who is this?" She demanded to Tyron. He held up his hands in surrender.

"He's the one who stole a Class A Atomic Battery from right under the IMC's collective noses." He looked to me, "You know that the IMC had a large presence here right? They were planning to buy that battery you snatched." I froze, how could that be? I was so careful to make sure it was a secluded spot where the IMC almost had no chance of being so it would go off without a hitch.

I must have looked terrified because the girl chucked and looked to Tyron, "He looks surprised," she looked to me,"did you really not know about the IMC being here?"

"No, I purposely tried to find a place where they would be either absent or stretched too thin to chase me efficiently."

"Did you even look into it at all?" My face flushed with shame. Tyron shot the girl a look that silenced her.

"The IMC hid their presence very well, so well it was difficult for us to figure out where they were going to be." That shocked me.

"Wait, you were trying to find the IMC? Are you guys crazy?"

"Maybe so." A voice from behind me says. I spin and see a man emerge from the tent I was standing in front of. I move back to allow him enough room to get out. "We hunted for an IMC exchange like this because we needed to buy or steal the battery you are carrying. It appears however that you beat us to it."

I give him a strange look, "that still doesn't explain why you guys want the battery enough to go after the IMC to get it." He gives me an equally strange look.

"What makes you think we are going to tell you that?"

I steal a look over at Tyron, "he said if I give up the battery to you guys to turn in to you contact or whatever I could have a share of the larger profit."

He steals a suspicious glance at Tyron, "are you trying to replace them?" Tyron gives off an aura of shame.

"You know that I would never do that, however he had the battery already and is very capable, I would know, I tracked him the entire time he was pulling his little stunt." I look over at him surprised, he was watching me? "He evaded three squads of IMC soldiers for 20 minutes without them catching much more than a glimpse of him, had he studied a map of the city more I have full confidence he would have escaped."

I look at him, "What makes you think I have a map of this city?" All three of them look at me with surprise and disbelief.

"You did all of that without studying a map or the layout of the city at all?" The girl asks, looking shocked.

"I only had the knowledge of what parts of the city I walked through to get to the vendor's stall in the first place. Being alone these last three years have made me realize that I don't need others to rely on and that I shouldn't trust anyone without a very good reason."

The man nods his head, "now I understand how you pulled that off, while you didn't have any backup at all, you were used to working alone and needed no help whatsoever relying only on your own talents and weaknesses which you could have contingencies for." He nods again, "However if you join us, you will have to leave all that lone wolf stuff behind, Phoenix Risen is a team of individuals who rely on each other to cover weaknesses and bring out each other's strengths."

The girl steps forward, "You're not seriously considering accepting him are you?"

The man nods his head, "Even you have to realize that without the twins we are severely underpowered as a three man team. We could use the extra help." The girl throws up her hands and walks off into the trees mumbling angrily as she goes. The man looks back at me, "Don't worry about her, she'll cool off in a bit, my name is Aiden, my call sign is Ice Phoenix. Her name," he gestures in the direction the girl stalked off to, "Is Hailey, call sign is Radiant Phoenix." He offers me his hand, I shake it.

"Thanks, my name is Riley."

"Welcome to Phoenix Risen Riley."


	3. Three

Disclaimer:

I don't own Titanfall or any of the resources used in the making of this story. All credit goes to Respawn Entertainment. All characters in this story bear no resemblance to any real people, living or dead.

The campsite consisted of three smaller tents and one larger te nt with a table inside. I had been given a hammock tied to two trees but I didn't care, I liked the outdoors since I didn't get to see it all that often at night.

Presently we were all seated around the table inside the large tent, going over what would be what I thought to be a supplies raid at an IMC airbase.

I tuned back into the conversation, Aiden was talking "This is going to need to be a fast op, in and out, we blow down the doors, grab the package, and get the hell out of there."

I shift in my seat, "So what is this package, supplies?"

Aiden gives me a quizzical look "You'll see when we get to it." I resigned to that, I had figured out that you didn't get much out of Aiden unless he wanted to tell you.

Over the last week, I had been trained by the three different members of the team, mostly in team skills because I was already pretty good at everything else.

Tyron taught me how to use your allies as a distraction for the enemy to sneak around and flank them, but also never to use allies as bait without them knowing. Hailey taught me some useful ways to cover a longer range ally from taking fire. Aiden taught me how to make sure that none of the team get captured and contingencies for if they do.

By the end of the week Hailey wasn't shooting me death glares anymore and seemed resigned to the idea that I was part of the team now. She had settled for mostly ignoring me outside of training. I hoped she eventually might accept me enough to at least acknowledge my presence occasionally.

Near the end of the week it was finally revealed to me what the supply mission we were going on was for. I was following Aiden around helping him pack up camp. We were taking down the large tent when he looked up at me with a comical glint in his eyes.

"Have you really not yet figured out what this mission we are going on is meant to accomplish?"

I looked down at my boots, "No, should I have?"

He smirked, "Probably, yeah. Give it some thought, what seems like it might need to be acquired or gained around here?"

I thought about that until we had fully broken down camp. It came to me then and I felt silly for not have realising it sooner. I looked at Aiden and asked "Is it to get me gear?"

He was about to answer when there was a thud behind me and I turn around to see Hailey having just jumped out of a tree, very nearly on top of me. "Took your sweet time figuring that one out didn't you?"

I glared at her and turned once again to Aiden for confirmation. He nodded and I was relieved I didn't have to think on the subject further.

"We leave in a little under an hour so everyone get your gear together and be ready by noon. We will eat on the dropship."

As everyone walked away I caught Aiden and asked "Do you guys really have a dropship?"

He nodded "Yeah, took us a heck of a long time to get the money to afford it, and almost all of our current income to maintain it so we generally store it and only use it if we have to go off planet somewhere."

"We are going off planet?" I said excitedly, "Like off of Naga?" I never thought I would be able to get away from all of this heat and sand and all the other wonderful things that come with living on a planet that is entirely comprised of deserts.

"Yeah," he looked at me suddenly "wait, have you never been off of Naga?"

"No," I had always lived here, it had never occured to me that I might be able to leave someday. "I have lived here my whole life after I abandoned my previous way of life."

He looked at me and asked "Where did you come from," he hesitated, "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to, I understand not wanting to live in the past."

I looked up, "No it's fine, I'll tell you." He looked relieved that he hadn't offended me. "I come from the rich sectors near the top of the mountain."

"Why would you ever want to leave that behind?"

"Because my parents treated me like garbage". That quieted him. "They never accepted me being different because I didn't want to succeed my father and take control of the family business. One day I had enough and just left. Haven't seen my parents or my sister since then".

"Sorry" he said.

"Don't be, none of it was your fault, plus I'm here now and pretty much having the best time of my life."

"You just wait," he seemed a lot more spirited again, "once we get you some gear you will be having even more fun." Just then a faint roaring sound could be heard, over the hills a battered old Crow dropship appeared. "Well there's our ride, let's get going."

I nodded, "Let's."

That's the end of what I have written, if you have comments or suggestions, let me know. If you like the story so far and want to see more, say so and I will get to work. See you on the battlefield Pilots!

-Ice Phoenix


End file.
